Drain spout for refrigerator cars



May M, 1948. I J. A. scHRoEDER ET Ax. 2,44L2f92 DRAIN SPOUT FOR REFRIGERATOR CARS Filed 001.. l1, 1944 INVENTORS.

A TTOR/YEX Patented May 1l, 1948 UNITED STATES J ohn A. Schroeder and Harry N. Juel, Denver, Colo.

Application October 11, 1944, Serial No. 558,212

1 Claim.

This invention relates to a drain spout for the ice bunkers of refrigerator cars, and has for its principal object the provision of an adjustable spout which can be turned and locked to direct the drainage in any desired direction. In the usual refrigerator oar-the drainage water from the bunkers is blown by the wind of the trains motion upon the journals and boxes of the trucks where it interferes with the lubrication of the latter often causing burned out bearings and other damage.

With the use of this invention, the drains can be adjusted in accord with the direction of travel of the train so as to throw the drainage to the Windward of the boxes, thus preventing contamination of the latter.

Other objects and advantages reside in the detail construction of the invention, which is designed for simplicity, economy, and eiilciency. These will become more apparent from the following description.

In the following detailed description of the invention, reference is had to the accompanying drawing which forms a part hereof. Like numerals refer 4to like parts in all views of the draw'- ing and throughout the description.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary side view of a typical refrigerator car illustrating the position of the invention thereon.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged side View of the improved drain spout.

Fig. 3 is -a vertical section therethrough, taken on the line 3 3, Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a bottom view thereof, looking upwardly.

Fig. 5 is a bottom view of the oor plate used for attaching the invention to the car.

A typical refrigerator freight car is indicated at I with its wheels at II and journal boxes at l2. Such cars are provided with drain tubes such as shown at I5, for draining away the water from the melting ice in the car bunkers. This improved drain spout is designed for protecting the latter from the drainage water. The improved spout is illustrated at I3. The spo-ut is riveted or otherwise secured to a circular rotatable disc or plate I4 having a central opening for receiving the lower extremity of the standard car drain tube I5.

The disc I4 is mounted within an annular spacing ring I6 and is held in place against a oor plate Il by means of a flange ring I8. The ilange ring and the spacing ring are bolted to the floor plate Il by means of suitable assembly bolts 59. The disc lll is not tightly clamped by the flange ring i8, but is free to be rotated on the latter about the spout I5. The oor plate I'I is secured to the bottom of the floor of the refrigerator car by means :of bolts or lag screws 2G.

It can be readily seen from the above, that the spout I3 may be swung around the tube l5 to any desired radial position. Means are provided for locking it in the desired position through the medium lof alatch rod 2 I. The latch rod 2I passes through la guide clip 22 on the spout i3 and a compression spring 23, :acting against a stop 24 on the rod 2l, constantly urges the latter upwardly. rIfhe upper extremity of the rod passes through a guide hole 25 in the disc Ill, and this upper extremity may be placed in any desired one of an arcuate series of latch holes 25, formed on the oor plate I'I.

When the latch rod ZI is drawn downwardly it will release the spout I3 so that the latter can be rotated and, when the rod is released, it will enter one of the holes 2t to lock the spout in place.

It is intended that all the spouts I3 on the train be turned so as to face away from the direction of travel and outwardly from the wheel positions, s0 that the drainage water will be thrown away from the wheels of the car.

While a specific form of the improvement has been described and illustrated herein, it is desired to be understood that the same may be varied, within the scope of the appended claim, without departing from the spirit of the invention,

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed and desired secured by Letters Patent is:

The `combination with a refrigerator car having a drain tube extending through the floor thereof of `a floor plate secured beneath said floor about said tube, said plate having a central opening receiving said tube; an annular ring secured to the lower surf-ace of said tube concentrlcally about said opening; a second flange ring secured against the first ring and projecting axially thereover; a rotatable disc having its periphery positioned between the ange ring and the plate,

said disc having an axial opening; a drain spout secured to said disc and extending downwardly and outwardly from said opening; a guide clip secured to said spout; a latch rod extending vertically through said guide clip and through said rotatable dis-c, there being spaced-apart openings in said plate for receiving the extremity of said rod; and spring means forcing said extremity into said opening.

JOHN A. SCHROEDER.

HARRY N. JUEL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

Number Re. 21,147 468,870 808,397 968,541 1,268,566 1,460,512 1,566,052 1,646,575

UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Kiesel* July 11, 1939 Griswold Feb. 16, 1892 Meakin Dec. 26, 1905 Connelly Aug. 30, 1910 Hall June 4, 1918 Rohrback July 3, 1923 VonDabrowski M Deo. 15, 1925 Garder Oct. 25, 1927 

